Mechanical transducer with expansible cavity



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;Unid statesmen MECHANICAL TRANSDUCER wrrrr ExPANslnLE cAvrrY John E. Woods, Cohasset, Mass., assigner to Standard- Thomson Corporation, Waltham, Mass., acorporation of Delaware Application November 18, 1953, Serial No.

Claims. (Cl. 137-777) The present invention relates to mechanical energy transducers, and more particularly to a unit having an extensible metallic sheath adapted to change in dimension in response to changes in an applied pressure.v

Such devices have many and varied applications,` and are used for purposes of control, for performinguseful work, and for transmitting forces remotely. One of the objects of this invention is to provide a unit capable of producing relatively large linear movements of an `out-` put member in response to a variation in applied pres sure. f f j In devices ordinarily employed at present for `similar purposes the unit is so constructed that it expands dimensionally upon an increase in the applied pressure. 'A

`simple example of this is the ordinary hydraulicpiston,l which moves to expand the volume of the cylinder on` lthe side of the piston head to which the pressure is applied. In many applications, however, it is found that a device having a reverse characteristic is preferable, namely, one that decreases in some dimension upon an increase in the applied pressure. Accordingly, it is a further object ofv this invention to provide aunit adaptable to fill this need.

which defines a cavity to which the actuating pressure4 is applied. l

According to this invention, the sheath takes the form of a braided or woven metal tube or a helically wound or wrapped metal strip having the property of decreasing in diameter when longitudinally extended. This property 4may be advantageously utilized in conjunction with the properties of a deformable outer support forming a part of the lining to permit the insertion into the cavity of a` zthin, exible, and relatively weak inner seal, the seal ,being rrnly backed up and supported by the supporting material under all conditions and at all times. The sheath also provides a structure which may be either adapted for decreasing in length with an increase in` applied pressure or temperature, or for increasing in length under a similar change in pressure. This adaptation is accomplished by proper adjustment of the pitch of the wrapped, woven, `or braided material. `There is *thus provided a unit which may be provided with a flexible seal to which the pressure is applied, and in which the seal is firmly supported on all sides against the pressure, rst by the deformable supporting material, and second,

by-the surrounding metal sheath which firmly resists the pressure at all points and under all conditions of use.

j Another feature of the invention resides `in its extreme easily fabricated and assembled. Moreover, the prix Vlice ciple of operation is such that although liexible and deformable elastomeric materials are employed in its constructiomthese materials are so supported as to eliminate stresses tending to shorten their service life.

Other features comprise certain features of construction, modes of operation, arrangements, and relationships of theparts which will be more clearly understood from the following description, and more specically defined in fee Claims t.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is an elevation in section of an integrally contained thermostatic unit incorporating the invention;

Fig. 2 `is an elevation in section of a second embodiment adapted to foreshorten upon an increase in the pressure applied from a remote source;

Fig. `3 is an elevation in section of a thermal unit havi ing multiple layers of wound metal sheathing; and

Eig. 4 is adiagram illustrating the relationship between the pitch of the strands in the metal sheathing and the dimensional 4response of the device to an increase in the t applied pressure. j i

Referring to the embodiment of Fig. 1, there may be provided` a` cylindrical metal housing or sleeve 2 which has a flanged end portion adapted to bear against'a flangeI on the open end of a thermal cup 4. The sleeve and cup are securely joined in assembly by a locking sleeve or ring 6 having its ends spun over the anges on each side.

The ,sleeve 2 has a central bore adapted to receive a slidable piston 8, the piston being placed in position to bear against a member 10 to be actuated. The bearing pressure is maintained at all times by suitable means, such as a compression spring `12.

Within the bore in the sleeve 2 there is provided a section of` cylindrical metal sheathing 14 which, in the illustrated form, consists of woven, `helically wound bles.

simplicity of construction, whereby the parts` may,A be. t

strands, each strand preferably consisting of a number of filaments, either parallel, twisted, or braided to one another.` Sheathing of this type is frequently' used-as a protective covering for multiple-conductor electrical ca- It will be understood that any other suitable sheathing, having properties similar to those of the described embodiment as hereinafter more fully amplified, may also be employed.

The sheathing 14 has one end secured to the sleeve 2 by a weld 16. Soldering or other suitable means `may be employed alternatively for this purpose. The other endl of thesheathing is free to move within the sleeve, and is similarly secured by a weld 17 to an end fitting or plate 18 adapted to bear upon the piston 8.

Inner flanged portions of the sleeve 2 and cup 4 press v against and securely hold the anged extremity of a deis preferable to use an elastomeric material such as rubber or any suitable rubber substitute, fabricated either by the molding or dipping process. The deformable support 22 is preferably fabricated of anelastomeric material and is sustantially incompressible. ln the described embodiment, its properties are generally similar to those of the seal, and it will serve as a seal to permit continued use of the device in the event` that'the seal ruptures. lndeed, the lattermay be entirely eliminated by a modification of the structure shown, in which the support 22 is selected to serve as the seal for the thermal material. The seal 20, if used, is preferably fabricated of material prinof the sheathing there is defined a vsheath-` enclosureof variable volume, which maylbe related'mathematicallyf 10 to the vpitch and braid angle of the strands, as herein# after more fully described.' In Vgeneral-terms, longitudild nal extension of the sheath causes lateral contra'c'ti thereof, While longitudinal contraction casesilte'al expansion,'as is Well-understood by thosev familiavvitl'i'the 15 use of such sheathing in theva'rious' arts.i

.The lining for the vsheath,consistingof theseal-Zaltiid the support material 22, defines 'aninner cavityicom'mnn 1 eating with the space-24infthe thermal /cupz Thecavity441 26 andspace 24 are completely lled-'withasuitable 20 thermal material, such asliquid'or waxf Expansion ofthe 'thermal material' due -t'anfincrease'2in-temperature isicompensated for entirely byexpansion of thefcavi'ty* 26.. Similarly, contraction of the thermalmaterialprf duces a reduction in the volume of the cavity.' s

Inioperation, an increase in'th'e applied temperature causes longitudinal V'extension-ofV the'z -bellows'seal-l 20.` Sincelthe support material 22'is incompre'ssiblt'z',"-tl'revel-e ume ofthis material within vthefsheath enclosuresrerriainsJ invariable; Therefore, the increasefin ItheV volum'of the"` cavity causes a correspondingincrease in-the'vlunieio`ff the sheath enclosure, which means that the pitch of the; strands must change suiciently'in the requireddirection to accomplishthis end. Whetherv this-change causesta'.w lengthening or foreshortening-of the sheath -de'pendsfuponf' the'braid angle, as dened below. In'eithercase; the" piston 3 follows the movements of the plate 18a'n`d transmits the motion thereof vtothe memberl 10.'

. An understanding o'f the' response v propertiesv dfl theM sheathaccording to this invention maybe gained by' ref? erence to Fig. 4. This is a diagram representingY a de veloped View of asection `ofthe sheath equal in leng'thto one'pitchofthe strands. The'pitch L istheraxialA length" in which a given strand` makes a complete'` turn about' the' sheath.'V The braid angle 9 is dened asthe angle' which the strand'makes with a linerparallelxto the-'axis"antiv intersecting .the strand. It is assumed' that `all* of the4 strands have the same pitch and braid'V angle]altholiglrv of course half of the strands are wrappediin one direc-v tion about the'sheath While" the other halrl are 'Wrapped"l 50 in the` opposite direction; ,c v Within the assumed range Vofipressure-s;A each` strand' is"` of such stiffness that v'any strain therein due to tensile" stresses is negligible. Moreover, sin-cey there areejal" numbers of strands Wrapped in opposite directions,"longi-` tudinal dimensional-changes in the' sheath` do notl pro' duce'a twisting of one end of the sheath with'rcspectt' the other. Therefore, the length S of 'each'strand ref quired to make a complete turn is a constant:

It istirst desired to determine the relationship between" the-volume of a given length ofl sheath and thebraid' angle S. This may be found by determination first` of' the volume V of the illustrated developed sectionhaving unit pitch length. The actual volume is" then foundV by multiplying this result by the actual numberor fraction of'pitch lengths in the given sheath. The 'latter number' is constant for all possible positionsr of a given sheath. Accordingly, we have i where Dis the diameter of the sheath.` UsingI the rela; tionship L'="S cos 9" l 75 afwasseny y from'which it is seen that an increase in volume maygbe accompanied either by an increase or decrease in the braid'angle, depending upon the sign of `the"qt'lar'itity'fin parentheses. By equating this quantitytto zero, we nd is an angle between 54"A and 555,. termedv thecritical angle for the braid.V

Examination of'Equations 4 and 5 reveals that for braid angles'of less than the'critical`value,.an increase inthe volume ilsa'ccomp'a'nied by an increase inthe braid'angle,. and a',foreshortenin'g of the sheath as shown by Equation 2f Conversely, for braid angles greater than the critical'. angle, an'increa'se in-the volume is accompaniedby a de: crease inthe braid angle and a lengthening of the sheath. If thebraid angle is at the critical value, the volume is alt'it'smairimum and cannot be further increased. Upon. further increases in pressure, the sheath acts like arigidi tube, andvwill eventually burst if the strengthv of the. strands' is exceeded. c

It IWill'th'erefore be clear that if it is desired tohave the. device extend'in length upon an increase in the applied, pressure, the braided sheath is fabricated so that the initial -braid angle is greater than the critical value. Converselygrif it is desired to have the unit foreshortenvin length upon-an increase in thev applied pressure,.the sheath is fabricated with an initial braid angle of less than the critical value. Y In the former case, it is apparent thatlthje` sheathmay t closely to the walls of the sleeve 2 whenno internal pressure is applied,` since any increaseinthe.

pressure causes a lateral contraction of the sheath- However, in the-,latter casean in itial annular clearance 28 is, necessary, since an increase in the applied pressure causeslateral expansion of the Y sheath.

@Itgwill-be understood thatalthough the embodiment* ofvv Ifig. 1 uses an integrally contained thermal cup, it. is also p`os`sible to operate the device by connectingit to;

a remote'thermal -bulb or mechanically actuated pressure source,.through.a capillary tube-in a conventional manner.'-` Fig.f2 illustratesa second embodimentv of the inventions int'which theinitial braid` angle.. is less thanthe critical.:

value tofcaus'e it to'foresho'r'ten in length upon an increase in-fthef applied pressure. The woven sheath 30, which.;

may-be similar in'construction to that of Fig. l, is secured bytveldingor any other suitable means to an endftting 3'2": Within the'y sheath there is received a deformable lining 3'4'of elastomeric material having a central cylindric'all l'ole'or cavity 36. The cavity communicates, through l ahlefi'ri an end' 'fitting' 38, with any suitable remote source of 'pressure such asa thermal bulb 40, throughv a cpillarytube 42. T he braid is secured by a weld to alocking ririg` 44, which is spun over the titting 38 so asA to clamp the lining-34 firmly against the inner face of the.

tting's.

. .'Ijhearrow'representsa nominal force applied to the unitv bylfa-ny4suitab1e external means such' asa tension spring; wherebyftheiunitfiszplaced under a normal tension. Whenv the -iiit'en'al'applied pressure becomes s'ui'eiently great;

' tv'rcome this" nominal'force, the unit foreshortens,

aliii indicated:

It is possible to fabricate a device according to this invention which is similar to that of Fig. 2, and which simply incorporates the transducer into one end of the communicating sheath as an integral part thereof. By this means, the entire longitudinal variation which is produced by the variation in the applied pressure takes place in the portion of the sheath between the end iittings corresponding to the parts 32 and 38 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 3 illustrates an integrally contained thermal unit having an elastomeric lining 46 similar to that of Fig. 2, defining a cavity 48 communicating with a thermal cup. In this case, the woven metal sheath is lreplaced by two adjacent, oppositely wound layers 50 and 52, each layer consisting of a helcally wrapped metal strip. In the embodiment shown, each layer is formed by wrapping a single strip, but multiple strips may also be used. (Indeed, the woven metal sheath of Figs. l or 2 may be thought of as comprising two layers, each having multiple strands, in which the respective strands have been woven together.) It is also possible to have more than two layers of strips, or only a single layer. In place of the strip, it is also possible to use material having other cross-sections, such as round, square or oblong.

In the alternative constructions of Figs. 2 and 3, the principle of 'operation is essentially similar to 4that developed above with reference to Figs. 1 and 4. In construction, -due regard should be had for the direction and degree of response which must be accommodated by the sheath. Thus, if the sheath of Fig. 3 is to be elongated upon an increase in the applied pressure, the strip may have a short pitch and the turns may be wrapped closely together under initial conditions, as shown in the drawing. However, if the device is to be foreshortened, the turns are preferably spaced somewhat under initial conditions, and the pitch is initially greater than that illustrated. If a single strip is used for each layer under the latter conditions, it is preferably fabricated of relatively wide stock, or, alternatively, the layer may lbe formed of narrower, multiple parallel strips.

It should be noted that an important function of the sheath is to support the lining when pressure is applied. This pressure may be far in excess of that which the lining can inherently withstand without ballooning and bursting. Accordingly, it is desirable to reduce the gaps between the strips of the sheath so a-s to prevent extrusion of the lining material therethrough. This constitutes one reason for using multiple layers of strips in preference to a single layer for certain types of actuators.

Another reason for using multiple layers of strips is that in certain cases in which a single layer is used the pressure may reach values at which the device tends to twist as well as to elongate or contract longitudinally. This eiect is ordinarily undesirable, and in each of the described embodiments it is overcome by providing equal numbers of oppositely wound strands or strips having the same pitch.

As shown by Figs. 2 and 3, the lining 34 or 46 may comprise a single element, and may be of simple cylindrical shape. However, as shown by Fig. 1, it is also possible to substitute a separate ilexible seal and a surrounding deformable support for the lining. `In the latter case, the seal may be of simple cylindrical shape, or it may take the form of a bellows as shown in Fig. 1, or any other -convenient shape. For many applications, the bellows form is preferred, since for a bellows volumetric expansion occurs through longitudinal extension rather than through radial stretching. It has been found that rubber or rubber-like materials, while held under stress, decompose both physically and chemically more rapidly than while not under stress, hence, a rubber bellows would have longer life under similar pressure conditions than a ballooning rubber cylinder.

`It will be understood that many variations of form, design, and arrangement may be incorporated into the described embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention; Some of these variations are indicated above, while others will occur to those skilled in the art in meeting the demands of particular applications through the application of known principles and procedures, in the light of the teachings herein.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A mechanical transducer having the combination of an extensible sheath formed of helcally wound metallic elements, said elements being adapted to contract laterally when longitudinally extended, end ttings for the :sheath to deine a sheath enclosure, a exible seal within the enclosure defining a cavity having connection with a source of pressure, a deformable support for the seal lilling the space between the seal and sheath, means to apply pressure to the cavity to vary its volume, said variation causing longitudinal adjustment of the sheath to produce a corresponding change in the volume of said enclosure, and movable actuator means in engagement with one of said fittings.

2. A mechanical transducer having the combination of an extensible sheath formed of helcally wound metallic elements, said elements being adapted to contract laterally when longitudinally extended, end ttings for the sheath to dene a sheath enclosure, a corrugated elastomeric bellows within the enclosure having a closed end and an open end provided with connection to a source of pressure, a deformable support for the bellows illing the space between the seal and sheath, means to apply pressure to the bellows to vary its volume, said variation causing longitudinal adjustment of the sheath to produce a corresponding change in the volume of said enclosure, and movable actuator means in engagement with one of said ttings.

3. A mechanical transducer having the combination of an extensible sheath formed of helcally wound metallic elements, said elements being adapted to contract laterally when longitudinally extended, end iittings for the sheath to define a sheath enclosure, a thin-walled ilexible seal within the enclosure defining a cavity having connection with a source of pressure, a substantially incompressible, deformable support for the seal filling the space between the seal and sheath, means to apply pressure to the cavity to vary its volume without appreciable stretching of the seal, said variation causing longitudinal adjustment of the sheath to produce a corresponding change in the volume of said enclosure, and movable actuator means in engagement with one of said fittings.

4. A mechanical transducer having the combination of an extensible sheath formed of oppositely wound woven helical metallic strands, said strands being adapted to contract laterally when longitudinally extended, end ttings for the sheath to define a sheath enclosure, a ilexible seal within the enclosure defining a cavity having connection with a source of pressure, a deformable support for the seal lling the space between the seal and sheath, means to apply pressure to the cavity to vary its volume, said variation causing longitudinal adjustment of the sheath to produce a corresponding change in the volume of said enclosure, and movable actuator means in engagement with one of said fittings.

5. A mechanical transducer having the combination of an extensible sheath formed of a number of layers of helcally wound metallic strands, the layers having alternate directions of winding and being adapted to contract laterally when longitudinally extended, end ttings for the sheath to define a sheath enclosure, a exible seal within the enclosure deiining a cavity having connection with a source of pressure, a deformable support for the seal filling the space between the seal and sheath, means to apply pressure to the cavity to vary its volume, said variation causing longitudinal adjustment of the sheath to produce a corresponding change in the volume of said enclosure, and movable actuator means in engagement with one of said fittings.

(References on following page) 

